


The Not So Secret Secret Couple

by Violettavonviolet



Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2020 [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Dog Tags, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Established Relationship, I thought Natasha and Clint were spies, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Kinda, M/M, Military Homophobia, Oblivious, Oblivious Steve Rogers, POV Bruce Banner, POV Clint Barton, POV James "Rhodey" Rhodes, POV Natasha Romanov, POV Steve Rogers, POV Thor (Marvel), POV Tony Stark, Secret Relationship, Sharing Clothes, Tony Stark Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Has A Heart, its not that Hard - Freeform, the avengers are oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24130321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violettavonviolet/pseuds/Violettavonviolet
Summary: They hadn't meant to keep it a secret, it just kinda happened.And now, when they are finally ready to show the whole world that they are together, nobody notices.orfive times an avenger remained oblivious and the one time they spelled it out for them.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736956
Comments: 5
Kudos: 393
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020, ellie marvel fics - read, superhero tingz





	The Not So Secret Secret Couple

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: secret relationship 
> 
> Card number:3132
> 
> hey y'all, I know I know, im a day late in posting but yeah, it tuns out that online classes are more work then rl and I had to write about a dozen essays on the weekend. Seriously, what is up with the teachers?  
> Anyway, I hope you can still enjoy this and I promise the next update comes on Friday like always.  
> This was honestly so much fun to write, I just love my ironhusbands!  
> I had you waiting long enough, so here it comes.

They hadn’t meant to keep it a secret, at least not at first.  
It just kinda happens, they aren’t overly affectionate in public, not with Howards homophobia and the press lurking around every corner.  
They don’t really try to hide it either, they hug and have nicknames for each other, but everyone just seems to think that they are very close best friends.  
They aren’t wrong either, they are v e r y close best friends, but they are also so much more. 

Then Rhodey gets drafted for the first time, about a month after he graduates college.  
With DaDt firmly in place and no end in sight, they start to actively hide their relationship.  
They don’t change much, just a few things. They don’t stand as close together as before, they have a bit of distance between them.  
Then DaDt gets repealed but they just act as before, homophobia is still very present in the military, and Tony doesn’t want to complicate things further for his Honeybear. Even later, they start to see it as a game, it no longer really matters if it comes out or not, but they want to see how far they can go with the media staying oblivious. Very far, turns out to be the answer. Nothing they do can convince the media that they are a couple. 

The charade is amusing, they both laugh about it in private.  
Even the other avengers haven’t figured it out yet, and Natasha calls herself a spy.  
So they decide to be more obvious, a LOT more obvious to be exact. They make a plan, a five step plan to be exact. If they haven’t figured it out by then, they are just going to make out in front of them. Or at least thats Tony’s plan. Rhodey prays that it doesn’t come down to that, he could already imagine how awkward that was going to be. 

And so their ‘Surprise we are a couple’ plan starts. 

1

The first step is simple but efficient.  
Rhodey goes to sleep in Tonys room, they sleep in a tangle of limps, Tony snuggling to Rhodey’s chest, whilst Rhodey spoons him, the deep calm breaths calming him down when he dreams of Tonys abduction.  
In the morning he leaves, still clad in only his pajama pants. He makes sure that at least one avenger is outside when he comes out, clearly having slept in the room.  
Clint sees it, follows him with his eyes as Rhodey makes his way down to his floor.  
He still needs to write a report for his boss. 

Clint isn’t overly surprised to see Rhodey coming out of Tony’s room, they are good friends after all and he knows how clingy Tony gets. Rhodey’s a great friend, he decides, to stay with a clearly sleep deprived and cuddly Tony for the entire night.  
Sometimes he wished Natasha was the same, it would be nice to have somebody to cuddle when the nightmares came.  
He shrugs internally and goes on with his day, there isn’t much to do about it after all. 

2

Rhodey is gone, deployed on another mission as war machine when the next step comes into action.  
Tony was especially enthusiastic about that one, he liked to wear Rhodey’s clothes after all.  
Besides he really missed his platypus and this gave him at least the illusion of his partner.  
He wore Rhodey’s hoodie, nearly drowning in the fabric. He was short, okay?  
And true, Tony might be a little sensible about his height but that didn’t matter, because in moments like this, when he was cuddled into Sugarplums hoodies, he actually came to enjoy his size.  
He wasn’t subtle about it either, he had chosen the biggest hoodie Rhodey had, which made it abundantly clear that he was wearing somebody else’s clothes.  
He met Thor on his way down to the workshop. 

The hoodie was currently exposing his shoulder, it had slid down a moment ago.  
Sadly, to Tony’s immense disappointment, Thor didn’t comment on t, and Tony just went on with his day. Later he would call Rhodey to inform him that there was clearly no hope left for humanity, nearly crying at how ridiculous it was.

Thor of course noticed Tony wearing the clothes of his shield brother. He smiled to himself, everybody knew that Tony missed the colonel, it was nice to see that he had found a way to cope. It reminded him of his earlier days, when he knew Loki doing the same thing when he went on longer adventures without his little brother.  
They truly were the best of shield brothers, the man of iron and his patriotic friend. 

3

The third step might as well have been a slap in the face, you couldn’t be much more obvious than that.  
Rhodey had returned from his mission much to the excitement of Tony.  
Currently they were fighting another villain, stupider than ever.  
The villain wanted to take over the world, the universe? Tony hadn’t really listend to the speech. They defeated him, of course the did. As soon as the villain was in cuffs, Tony landed and exited his suit, Running over to where the iron patriot was standing. 

The moment that Rhodey took a step out of his armor, he had a bubbly Tony in his arms. The smaller man was still very much on an adrenaline kick and even Rhodey had a hard time understanding the man. Finally, Tony tugged Rhodey down and gave him a peck on the lip before turning around and flying back to the tower.  
The only witness of the kiss was Steve, who didn’t react at all.  
Later Rhodey would join Tony in his near crying over the obliviousness of the people. 

Steve had seen the quick kiss, but he didn’t mention it. He knew how affectionate Tony was and with the adrenaline came almost always the need of skin on skin contact. He had gotten hugged after a battle often enough to know that the kiss was more platonic than anything else. It almost reminded him of Buc- -no he wasn’t going there, his friend was in the past and he was not coming back. 

He shook his had at the antics of one Tony Stark. 

4 

The next step started two days later, and wasn’t as obvious as the one before, but they could still hope, couldn’t they. So Tony invited Rhodey on a date to a charity gala. The Maria Stark foundation charity gala to be exact.  
Tony usually didn’t like the galas, but with his Honeybear it was guaranteed to be fun.  
Rhodey went in his formal air force uniform, with medals and all, and Tony went in one of his Tom Ford suits, his favorite to be exact.  
Rhodey was already waiting in the common area, Tony always needed longer than he did.  
Finally the elevator opened to reveal Tony. Rhodey offered his arm, which Tony gladly took and together they left. 

Natasha had watched the whole spectacle play out. She smiled openly for a second before stopping again.  
It was nice to know that Tony would go to the gala with somebody who would make him behave.  
She didn’t understand their friendship, but she didn’t have too.  
Those two had history together, history that made them work together in perfect sync, balancing each other out but never overstepping, really, she envied them, such a strong friendship wasn’t common.

5

This was their last try before they would have to be a bit more drastic and Rhodey really hoped it would work. It was already shining a poor enough light on the avengers to not have figured something out by now. They were actively trying to be obvious for gods sake!

Today, Tony wore Rhodey’s dog tags to the lab, he always wore them of course, but today he let them show.  
He knew that Bruce would see them sooner or later, but he was not known for his patience so. He made it even more obvious by openly playing with them, letting them glint in the light of the screen he was currently working on.  
Bruce didn’t react, not even once, but Tony knew that he had seen them, nobody could be so blind.  
Still, no comment was made and at the end of the night Tony left feeling even more ridiculous than before.  
How did nobody notice? He was not known for being stealthy, was he? 

Bruce had of course seen the dog tags, hard not to, but he didn’t say a word. He knew without doubt that it had to be Rhodey’s, Tony had no other friends in the military, at least not close ones.  
It was sad, it seemed as if Rhodey had no other close family to give them too, but it was also wonderful to see such a strong and beautiful friendship. 

+1

“They still haven’t figured it out Rhodey, still!“  
Rhodey nodded, it was astounding how much people could ignore if they tried to. He sighed, knowing that there was no other way, but still dreading it. They would have to go with Tonys idea, it was getting too much to handle.  
And so, shortly before their next briefing, they made out, in a janitors closet non the less. Why they made out in a janitors closet, when they could just have done it in their bedroom, Rhodey didn’t know, but Tony had wanted it and Rhodey always gave Tony what he wanted.  
The make out session got a little more heated then planned but they luckily only came a few minutes late. 

“Where were you? The briefing started twenty minutes ago and we live in this tower?“ Okay, maybe more than a little bit late, Rhodey thought sheepishly. But really it was all Tony fault, who should have no business having a butt like that.  
You couldn’t expect Rhodey not to grope that, could you?  
“Sorry not sorry, we made out in a closet on our way down, and things got a little out of hand.“  
Tony shrugged. God his hair was killing Rhodey, so fluffy and such a mess.  
He stepped a little closer, almost feeling the heat radiating off of Tonys skin.  
Steve raised an eyebrow, “Very funny, now where were you? “ Rhodey wanted to smash his head repeatedly against a wall, they had told them and they still didn’t realize it!  
Tony threw his hands in the air, “Oh for gods sake, we really have to spell it out for y’all don’t we?“  
He gestured towards Rhodey and then back to himself. 

“We. Are. A. Couple.“ 

No further reaction from their team mates. 

“Yes we get it, now please just tell us where you two were.“ Natasha studied her nails.  
“They still don’t believe us Sugar plum! “  
“I heard.“ Rhodey answered, questioning the ability of this team not for the first time.  
Suddenly, he was grapped by the shirt, tugged down to Tonys level, and kissed. Very heatedly. Rhodey responded, of course he did, and they very nearly started to make out again, before they parted.  
Blank eyes staring at them. 

“Do you believe us now? We are a couple, have been since 1986, haven’t we?“  
Rhodey’s hand wandered to the low of Tonys back, “Damn right we have!“  
Steve stuttered, “You two, but, but… “  
Tony grinned and kissed him again, “No buts, just us. “

**Author's Note:**

> This is it! Did u like it, do u have any additional thoughts or comments? then pls leave a comment down below, I love reading those, especially now in quarantine.  
> Next fic comes on Friday,  
> bye  
> Vio


End file.
